Defensive publication

ABSTRACT

A PROCESS FOR SEPARTING SUBSTANCES FROM AQUEOUS MIXTURES BY CONTACTING AN AQUEOUS FEED MIXTURE WITH ONE SIDE OF AN ACRYLONITRILE POLYMER GEL FILM MEMBRANE UNDER PERMEATION CONDITIONS AND RECOVERING FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE GEL FILM A PERMEATED PORTION OF SAID AQUEOUS MIXTURE CONTAINING A REDUCED AMOUNT OF SAID SUBSTANCES. THE GEL FILM CAN BE FORMED OF HOMOPOLYMER OR COPOLYMER OF ACRYLONITRILE WHEREIN THE ARCYLONITRILE CONTENT IS AT LEAST 75 PERCENT BY WEIGHT WITH THE REMAINING PORTION OF THE COPOLYMER COMPRISING MONOMERS COPOLYMERIZABLE WITH ACRYLONITRILE; THE POLYMER SHOULD HAVE AN INTRINSIC VISCOSITY OF AT LEAST 0.5 AND THE GEL FILM SHOULD HAVE A DENSITY OF FROM 0.45 TO 1.10 GRAMS PER CUBIC CENTIMETER, THIS PROCESS MAY BE EFFECTIVELY UTILIZED IN AREAS SUCH AS DIALYSIS, FOR EXAMPLE HEMODIALYSIS WHEREIN THE CONTENT OF SUBSTANCES SUCH AS CREATININE, URIC ACID AND UREA IS REDUCED IN THE RECOVERED PERMEATED BLOOD; AND A ULTRAFILTRATION, FOR EXAMPLE FILTRATION OF MICROORGANISMS FROM WATER WHEREIN SUCH CONTAMINANTS ARE REMOVED FROM THE WATER AS IT PASSES THROUGH THE GEL FILM MEMBRANE.

DEFENSIVE PU LICA'IION UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Published at therequest of the applicant or owner in accordance with the Notice of Dec.16, 1969, 869 O.G. 687. The abstracts of Defensive Publicationapplications are identified by distinctly numbered series and arearranged chronologically. The heading of each abstract indicates thenumber of pages of specification, including claims and sheets ofdrawings contained in the application as originally filed. The files ofthese applications are available to the public for inspection andreproduction may be purchased for 30 cents a sheet.

Defensive Publication applications have not been examined as to themerits of alleged invention. The Patent Ofiice makes no assertion as tothe novelty of the disclosed subject matter.

PUBLISHED MARCH 9 1971 T884,001 MEMBRANE SEPARATION Robert 0. Osborn,Snyder, and Daniel T. Meloon, East Amherst, N.Y., assignors to E. I. duPont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, Del.

Continuation of application Ser. No. 659,887, Aug. 11, 1967. Thisapplication Dec. 30, 1968, Ser. No. 800,314 Int. Cl. B01d 13/00 US. Cl.210-23 No Drawing. 11 Pages Specification A process for separatingsubstances from aqueous mixtures by contacting an aqueous feed mixturewith one side of an acrylonitrile polymer gel film membrane underpermeation conditions and recovering from the opposite side of the gelfilm a permeated portion of said aqueous mixture containing a reducedamount of said substances. The gel film can be formed of homopolymer orcopolymer of acrylonitrile wherein the acrylonitrile content is at least75 percent by weight with the remaining portion of the copolymercomprising monomers copolymerizable with acrylonitrile; the polymershould have an intrinsic viscosity of at least 0.5 and the gel filmshould have a density of from 0.45 to 1.10 grams per cubic centimeter.

This process may be eifectively utilized in areas such as dialysis, forexample hemodialysis wherein the content of substances such ascreatinine, uric acid and urea is reduced in the recovered permeatedblood; and ultrafiltration, for example filtration of microorganismsfrom water wherein such contaminants are removed from the water as itpasses through the gel film membrane.

